Hello All,

Check out this blog posted by My Friends Lane www.myfriendslane.com.

Back in 2008, when the housing crisis was already in swing, our family had to move from Chicago to Atlanta. In addition to worrying about how home showings were at an all time low, I was also worrying about the state of our house. My husband and I both worked so we had never got around to updating the kitchen and master bath. We had a 2 year old son and a 90 lb golden retriever. The house was definitely at its best – not!

But as luck would have it, our realtor rushed in and saved us. She advised us to paint the house and she would provide us with a stager. Of course I had no idea what a stager was. All I know is I walked into my house after work one day and had to go outside to make sure I had the right house. Although all my furniture was still there, it was all rearranged. The house was shiny and clean, the fireplaces were all lit, candles were flickering romantically, there were orchids in the bathroom and all the clutter was gone. I have to admit that I had my 2 year old’s toys in every room of the house, so de-cluttering could not have been a trivial process.

Long story short, my house sold in 3 weeks, well above what I expected to get for it. Everyone was talking about how well our house showed – especially people who had seen it ‘before’. As I was discussing my story with Paige Earles, owner of Pearle Staging and Design, I found that my story is hardly unique. Here are some of the stats she gave me:

• A staged home will sell for 17% higher (on average) than an un-staged home.
• Staged homes, on average, sold in half the time that the non-staged homes did (USA Today).
  • Homes that sold after four weeks on the market sold for 6% less than ones within the first four weeks! (National Association of Realtors Survey)

Paige, a fellow Atlanta resident and a certified RESA-PRO (Real Estate Staging Association designation), is full of information and tips. Paige is also offering free consultations for a limited time only. Check it out at http://myfriendslane.com/launchsale. You can read more about her work and find her website at http://www.myfriendslane.com/product_info-css.php?pid=442